You are talking to someone who has pulled literally hundreds of engines- by myself, mostly. So sorry if I come across as an authority. But I have found there's no need to remove the hood in the majority of cases, and if you're working by yourself, taking the hood off is a PITA.

Now, if that's how YOU prefer to do it, like lust4speed aptly said, "...we develop and adopt our favorite way of doing things." But it is just not how I prefer to do it. And I have done it both ways.

What I DID say, was that if you prefer to remove the hood, just be sure to mark the hinge location for an easier reassembly.